This invention is an improvement of an insect trap described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,941 which issued Nov. 12, 1985 and was also invented by Rodney Schneidmiller. This earlier patent describes a transparent cylindrical insect trap that is selective to entrapping wasps. A "wasp" is a generic name applied to insects of the order Hyminopteran which includes particularly hornets and yellow jackets. Throughout this disclosure, the more common insect description of "yellow jacket" will be primarily used in the discussion of the trap. It should be understood, however, that the trap is effective for other varieties of the insect Order.
The previous patented trap structure has a cylindrical top element and a bottom element that are threadably connected to form a cylindrical entrapment chamber. The bottom element has multiple orifices to permit insect entry. A circular truncated entry cone is provided inwardly of the entrance orifices and between the orifices and the internal entrapment chamber. Yellow jackets enter through the bottom orifices, fly into the conical element, pass through its truncated end, and become entrapped in the cylindrical chamber. Once inside the chamber, exiting is virtually impossible, thereby leading to the demise of the trapped insects. Portions of the trap are colored and a volatile olfactory attractant is provided in the bottom element to aid in attracting the yellow jackets.
For further background information, the reader is encouraged to review U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,941, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Although the patented trap has proven effective at entrapping yellow jackets, the trap of this invention improves certain features of the previous version. In the previous version, the conical element simply rests within the top element and is held therein when the bottom element is screwed onto the top element. The trap is designed to be reusable, allowing a user to disassemble the trap to empty the dead yellow jackets from the entrapment chamber and then reassemble the trap for continued insect control. When disassembling a trap filled with deceased insects, the user unscrews the bottom element from the top element, removes the cone section (preferably above a waste container), and dumps the dead yellow jackets into the waste container.
Due to the structural configuration, however, the cone element is free to fall from it inserted position in the top element as soon as the bottom element is detached (assuming that the trap is held with the open side of the top section facing downward) unless the user alertly and quickly holds the cone element. If an unsuspecting user fails to temporarily restrain the cone element, all of the dead yellow jackets might fall onto the floor during emptying, resulting in a mess. It is therefore an aspect of this invention to provide an improved trap that does not undesirably expel dead yellow jackets during emptying.
Another feature of the previous trap that this invention seeks to improve is the ease of handling during assembly and disassembly. Such aspects of this invention are helpful for individuals with limited tactile movement, such as elderly or persons with arthritis or other motion debilitating conditions.
This invention also seeks to improve controllability of the air flow through the trap. Air flow circulates the olfactory attractants used in the trap to entice yellow jackets therein. Improved control of the air flow can enhance circulation of the attractants.